In U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,822 there was described and claimed an apparatus for handling tubular goods having an internal gripping device for handling tubular work pieces. There was also described the use of articulated couplings. It has now been realized that the articulated couplings illustrated and described were equally important to the internal gripping device claimed, as they permit the transfer of torque with little or not moment or lateral resistance. Once the principles underlying the use of the articulated coupling are understood, beneficial results may be obtained even when other configurations of gripping devices (internal or external) are used to engage the tubular goods.